A student has been sentenced to 12 months in a young offenders institution after trying to rip a gold chain off a 76-year-old woman.

Courtney White, 18, from Higham Road, Tottenham, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery after he tried to steal the chain in August last year.

He was sentenced on Friday February 8 at Wood Green Crown Court, in Lordship Lane.

White came up behind the woman as she was walking along Oulton Road, in South Tottenham, and tried to rip the chain from her neck.

Empty handed, he ran off, leaving the woman in shock.

Police were able to identify White from forensic evidence and was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery on October 1 last year.

Detective Constable Francis Hans-Jorie said: "This was a forceful attack in broad daylight. I've no doubt that White knew his intended target was an elderly woman, assuming she wouldn't put up much of a struggle, only to flee empty handed when her calls for help risked attracting attention.